


Little brother

by IShipAllTheSpaceGays



Series: Sanders Sides One-Shots [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abuse, Adoption, Anxiety, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders Needs a Hug, Foster Care, Gay, Gender Dysphoria, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Janus is a good big brother, Misgendering, Neglect, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Sleep | Remy Sanders, Orphanage, Orphans, Physical Abuse, Slurs, Trans Male Character, Transphobia, Unsympathetic OC, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29104317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IShipAllTheSpaceGays/pseuds/IShipAllTheSpaceGays
Summary: Janus and his parents are looking for a new member to add to their family.Or,Im completely obsessed with the idea of sides as kids bc they would all be such good brothers :') and there is not enough fics out there that show this it is my mission to change that.
Relationships: Dr. Emile Picani/Sleep | Remy Sanders
Series: Sanders Sides One-Shots [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1729141
Comments: 8
Kudos: 39





	Little brother

**Author's Note:**

> TW for:  
> -transphobia (purposeful use of character's deadname and wrong pronouns)  
> -Slurs (use of the r word once)  
> -mentions of child abuse  
> -light mentions of bullying  
> -anxiety attack  
> -mentions of stim shaming 
> 
> Let me know if I forgot something

Janus wandered away from his parents and the head of the orphanage, deciding to look around and see if he could strike up conversation with any of the children. He knew that his parents would listen to his input and make sure that he had a say in who they’d be adopting, so he figured he might as well test the waters and see if he is naturally drawn to anyone. After scanning the large group of exceptionally loud children, he spotted a small dark blob tucked into the far corner, far away from all of the others.

Intrigued, Janus made his way towards the child cautiously, ignoring the other children that seemed to be happily throwing balls at each other and screaming at the top of their lungs about tag. Janus had always had sensitive ears, so he couldn’t help but be quite overwhelmed by the very loud atmosphere. 

When he stopped directly in front of the child, he noticed that it was a young boy with dark brown hair, clad in a faded plaid hoodie that was probably black once, but was now a dull, raggedy grey. The child had been sitting with his back against the wall and his legs pulled to his chest, one arm extended and resting lazily on one knee. He was holding something, examining it. It looked like a nearly dead flower, but Janus didn’t have much time to make out what exactly it was because as soon as the child had noticed him standing there, he snapped his gaze up for half a second and immediately pulled his extended arm close to his chest, the object in his hand hidden now behind his knees. 

The child looked up at Janus through his dark eyelashes, anxious and unsure, he didn’t say anything. Janus decided to sit down in front of him, about a foot away. He crossed his legs and set his hands on his ankles, trying to assume the least threatening position he possibly could for this young boy who was clearly nervous. There was a short moment of silence before Janus found his voice, 

“Hello there, what’s your name?”

The child’s expression didn’t change, he simply blinked at Janus, looking unsure and concerned, as if Janus was not supposed to be there. “...Virgil.” he mumbled in a small voice. Janus struggled to hear him over the very loud sounds around them. 

“Virgil? My, that is a very interesting name.” the child seemed to shrink back into the wall at that comment, and Janus worried that he’d said something rude without realizing it, he had a bad habit of doing that. 

“I have a knack for unusual names. In fact, my name is quite unusual as well.” he smiled, “My name is Janus. It is very nice to meet you, Virgil.” Again, the young boy didn’t react much in response, only stared a bit longer before giving a weak nod. Janus decided to try and keep a conversation. He didn’t often enjoy small talk, in fact he found it grating, but in this situation it felt necessary. “So, how are you today?”

Virgil seemed surprised at this question, his eyebrows furrowed and he blinked in confusion, “H-Huh..?” 

Janus tilted his head to the side, “How are you today..?” he repeated the question hesitantly.

Virgil seemed to struggle with coming up with an answer to that. He broke eye contact, looking away for a bit then looking back, then away again, his mouth opening and closing as if he was trying to speak but nothing came out. Realizing that this wasn’t the right way to approach things, Janus decided to ask a different question, 

“Never mind that, it’s alright. How about I ask you a different question?”

Virgil nodded, seeming a bit relieved but also very tense. 

“I can’t help but wonder why you are sitting here all alone while your peers seem to be playing games and having fun together.”

Virgil didn’t seem too bothered by that question, he just sighed and looked away from Janus, out toward all of the children running around and screaming. “I don’t like them, they don’t like me either.” He did not bring his gaze back to Janus.

Jan looked out toward the chaotic group as well before looking back at Virgil, “Well, they do seem quite obnoxious.” he said, smiling a little.

To Janus’ surprise, that earned him eye contact and a very small half smile from the younger boy. While he began to rack his brain for another topic to discuss, Virgil spoke up, once again looking at the group of children.

“See that boy in the orange shirt?” he said, nodding his head in the direction of said boy.

“I do.” Janus nodded, looking at the boy as well. 

“That’s Jamie. He’s my enemy.”

Janus looked back at Virgil in surprise, “Oh? And why is that?”

Virgil looked back at him, “He’s really mean to me. Beats me up and makes fun of me. He sucks.”

“That’s not very nice of him.” Is all Janus could think to say in the moment. As silly as it was, he felt the need to protect and defend Virgil. Learning that this boy in the ugly orange shirt had hurt him made Janus quite upset.

“Mhm.” Virgil sighed, looking back at the crowd of children, not really focusing on anything or anyone in particular, “Sometimes I put spiders in his bed.” he said dully.

The older boy’s eyes widened, this child was just full of surprises. “Do you? That’s quite the revenge tactic.” Janus couldn’t help but laugh.

Virgil seemed pleased that Janus hadn’t scolded him for admitting to such a crime, he responded with another half smile. That one didn’t last long at all though, in fact it was gone almost immediately. Virgil looked down at his lap and seemed to pick at whatever was in his hand, “I always get in trouble for it.” he mumbled, not looking up.

Janus frowns, “Well that hardly seems fair. You’re simply defending yourself.”

“Mrs. Hallie never believes me.” Virgil shrugged. Janus distantly remembered that Mrs. Hallie was the woman his parents were talking to when he wandered off. 

“I see. Do you like spiders?”

This seemed to perk Virgil up. He nodded, “Yeah. They’re better than people.” he said simply, his half smile returning.

“I have to agree. I feel the same about snakes.” Janus confessed, smiling a bit too. There was a short silence after that, but it didn’t seem awkward, Janus didn’t mind it. Virgil broke it by shyly nodding toward Janus,

“What happened to your eye?”

He was referring to Janus’ scars. The older boy didn’t even flinch, he was more than used to people asking. Instead of the usual smart remark, however, Janus blurted out the perfect response, 

“This? Oh, I’m part snake.” He’d stated it so casually, he surprised himself a bit at how smoothly he’d lied. He couldn’t quite figure out why he decided to say that, but he was glad he did. Virgil’s eyes opened wide, his half smile turning into a full one in seconds. The boy’s whole demeanor seemed to light up, 

“Really?!” he squeaked, his voice still quiet, but a little louder than before. 

Janus laughed softly, feeling his heart warm up, 

“Really. But don’t tell anyone, it’s a secret.” he pulled his pointer finger up to his lips.

Virgil suddenly turned serious and nodded, “I promise.”

Janus nodded in thanks, “I enjoy your company, Virgil.” Janus said honestly. He couldn’t say that about many. “How old are you?” 

“I’m eight.” he said, his cheeks a little pink from the compliment. “You..?”

“I am fifteen.” 

Janus wanted to continue their conversation, but as soon as Virgil opened his mouth to speak again, his name was called from somewhere behind him, 

“Janus!” He looked behind him, making eye contact with his father. He gave him a small wave, and was met with a happy wave followed by a ‘come here’ signal. He nodded before turning to face Virgil again, who looked uneasy. 

“Nothing to worry about, that was only my father. It appears that it is time for me to go.” he explained. At this information, the older boy could swear he could see a flash of sadness in the younger’s eyes. Virgil didn’t say anything, or make a move at all. There was silence for a few moments before Janus decided to say his goodbyes. Though, he was convinced that they’d see each other again. Janus would certainly be telling his parents of this interaction. “Well, it was lovely to talk with you, Virgil.” Janus made the move to stand, but froze when Virgil shifted onto his knees in a sudden and jerky manor before quickly thrusting his short arms forward, both hands clutching the nearly dead flower. 

Janus blinked in surprise for a moment before letting his expression melt into an adoring smile. This child really was so sweet. “For me?” he asked, touching his chest as he felt his heart melting.

Virgil still said nothing, just nodded nervously. Janus reached out slowly and took the flower, “I love it. Thank you very much, Virgil.”

The young boy seemed to relax a bit at Janus’ reaction, and Jan was happy to see that charming smile once more. 

“I’ll be off now.” Janus said after a moment of silence, standing up. He tucked the flower behind his ear carefully before looking down at Virgil, “You hang in there, kid. And keep putting spiders in that boy’s bed for me.”

Virgil smiled and nodded as Janus left. 

~~~

Janus and his parents went home last night to discuss what they’d learned and where they would go from there. Janus told them all about Virgil and made his case as to why he believed the young boy would be the best option for their family. His father and parent had no qualms about it other than wanting to meet the boy for themselves. 

So, the following day they called the orphanage and made an appointment for Janus and his parents to meet with Virgil. However, much to Janus’ heavy dismay, the matron informed his father that there was no one by the name of Virgil currently living in the orphanage. Naturally, Janus assumed that Virgil had simply been adopted, and that was that. As sad as he was, he supposed it was a good thing that the young boy he had taken to so quickly had been adopted by a hopefully nice family. 

With a heavy heart, Janus agreed to return to the orphanage to see once again if he could connect with anyone before his parents made a final choice based on file information alone. When they arrived however, Janus immediately spotted Virgil, sitting in the same corner of the room as he had been when they first met. Janus was much too excited to be confused, he could barely contain himself as he grabbed his parent’s arm, 

“Remy look! That’s Virgil!” Remy blinked in surprise and looked over to where their son was pointing. A small child curled up in the corner of the room. Before they could respond, Janus had let go of them and started making his way toward the child. Remy just exchanged confused glances with their husband.

Janus stopped in front of Virgil with a smile on his face, crouching down in front of him. “Hello, Virgil!” The younger boy flinched, looking up with wide doe eyes. Janus noticed immediately that the boy had a black eye, and both were quite bloodshot. “Hey, are you alright?”

Virgil just sniffled softly and whispered a quick, “Yeah” his voice cracking, “Why are you back here?” he asked, looking confused. 

“My parents wish to meet you, but when we called to schedule a meeting, the matron told us that you weren’t here anymore. I thought you’d been adopted.” Jan explained.

Virgil shook his head, frowning. He wasn’t sure why the matron would- oh.. “Did you ask for me by name?” he asked, his voice soft and weak. 

“We did. Why?” Virgil just shook his head. He knew why she told them he wasn’t there, but he didn’t want to tell Janus. Even though it didn’t matter, if his parents wanted to meet Virgil, they’d probably find out anyway.

“Why do your parents want to meet me?” he asked dully, refusing to let himself get his hopes up even a little bit. 

Janus just smiled and held out a hand toward Virgil, “Come with me and you’ll find out.”

For some reason, Virgil found himself accepting the hand. He stood up, ready to follow behind Janus, but was surprised to find that the older boy didn’t let go of his hand. Janus led Virgil through the annoying people, right past Jamie and his dumb friends. Virgil didn’t make any eye contact, though he could feel them staring. 

They stopped in front of two people, one tall man in a pink blazer, and one shorter...man(?) wearing a black jacket, sunglasses and black jeans. 

“Dad, Remy, this is Virgil. He is the boy I have told you about. The matron must have been mistaken, because he is certainly still here.” Janus pointed out. 

“I see that! Hey there, kiddo! I’m Emile, Janus’ dad. This is my partner Remy. We’re super pleased to meet you.” The taller man in pink exclaimed enthusiastically, offering his hand out suddenly, making Virgil flinch and subconsciously press closer to Janus. “Oh! I’m so sorry, buddy I didn’t mean to scare you. We don’t have to shake hands if you don’t want to.” Emile brought his hand back to his side. Remy was next to greet Virgil, giving him a simple little smile, 

“Nice to meet you, kid.”

Virgil nodded to both of them shyly, a bit overwhelmed with all of this. This all happened very suddenly, and he was a bit confused. Before anyone could say another word, Mrs. Hallie approached the four of them and Virgil felt his heart drop to his stomach. This was it.

“Oh! Dr. and Mr. Picani, hello! What brings you here today? Looking for another potential adoptee?” she said cheerily, not even noticing Virgil standing there with them.

“Well actually, Mrs. Hallie I think we’ve actually found the boy we’d called you about.” Emile began, and Virgil felt dread twisting in his gut, “There must have been a mixup, it’s possible I mispronounced his name over the phone.”

Mrs. Hallie frowned and tilted her head in confusion, “Oh?”

“Yes. Little Virgie here was the boy we were calling about a few days back.” Remy stepped in, taking a sip of his coffee after they finished speaking. 

“Virgil? But we don’t have…” She trailed off when she met Virgil’s gaze. Her confusion turned to irritation almost immediately, and Virgil froze, his small body beginning to shake a bit. There was a long, tense silence, and Janus had noticed that the small boy holding his hand was becoming increasingly distressed. He was about to turn to him and ask if he was alright when Mrs. Hallie sighed loudly, 

“This again, Virginia?” she snapped, clearly irritated. Virgil flinched back, his bottom lip trembling. “I am so sorry about this, friends. There’s been a mistake. We really have no one here named Virgil. Her name is Virginia, she’s not a boy, and she had no right to lie to you the way she did. From what I understand, you three were mainly interested in adopting a boy, correct? If you’ll allow me a few moments to get her out of your way, I can accompany you to the common room to meet the real boys. I can assure you that they are all very well behaved, and are  _ actually  _ boys.” With that, she stepped forward and reached for Virgil’s arm, but he only flinched back farther with a whimper that broke Janus’ heart. He felt the younger boy squeeze his hand a little tighter, his whole body shaking. 

“Virginia, don’t be ridiculous. Let’s go.” the woman snapped.

On instinct, Janus moved his body to block Mrs. Hallie from reaching for Virgil again. The woman looked at Janus in slight shock before standing up straight and visually regaining her composure, “Young man, please allow me to take her from you, the sooner you give her to me, the sooner I can help you find your new brother.” She smiled sweetly, but Janus did not trust her at all. He narrowed his eyes at her,

“I will not move. I have already found my younger sibling, I would prefer that you back away now.” He said, venom in his voice.

Virgil’s eyes widened behind him, shiny with unshed tears as he watched this go on. 

Mrs. Hallie always hated to be told no. She took everything personally, and a no always earned a punishment. Virgil shivered at the thought. Mrs. Hallie huffed harshly and stood back, looking at Janus’ parents for help. One of them stepped forward in front of Janus and Virgil, 

“If you don’t mind, Hallie, we’d like to go over the necessary paperwork to adopt. We would like to take our child home with us today."

Mrs. Hallie was trying to hold in her anger, Virgil could see it. She always masked it with that cheap smile when people were there. Virgil knew what was underneath though, and it was not pleasant, not at all. “Of course, Mr. Picani. I’ll get right on that, as soon as I bring Virginia here to her room and introduce you to Jamie. I think he would be an amazing fit for your lovely little family.”

Virgil paled considerably and his grip on Janus’ hand tightened a little more before going completely limp. His trembling body swayed a bit where he was standing, dread filling all of his senses. She was gonna take him to the basement again. He didn’t wanna go to the basement again, it was so dark and cold and scary- he didn’t want to go! But that’s what she meant, that’s what she always means when she tells someone she’s gonna take them to their room. He didn’t have his own room, none of them did, they all shared one. No, she had no intentions of sending him to that room, she was gonna take him to the basement as a punishment. 

Virgil suddenly couldn’t breathe, his chest felt like it was constricting his own lungs harshly. He whimpered softly and let out shaky breaths, stepping back again just slightly. Janus noticed that Virgil seemed to have crossed over the bridge between anxious and panicked. He turned his back to the woman, trusting his parents would handle this, he knew Remy was already quite wound up. He set both hands on Virgil’s shoulders gently and started to talk to him,

“Hey, Virgil, you’re alright, I’m here. Will you do me a favor? Can you follow my breathing for me?” 

Virgil nodded jerkily, tears streaming down his face as he wheezed.

“Good, good. Alright, let’s breathe in through our noses.” he coached, keeping his voice soft and steady, “Good job, kid. Now out through your mouth.” They continued to do that a couple of times and soon enough, Virgil seemed to have regained control of their breathing. Janus smiled, proud of them, “Good job. You’re okay, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll come home with me tonight, okay? If you want to, of course.”

Virgil just stared at Janus in amazement as he spoke. No one had ever helped him like that before, he couldn’t believe it. By the time Janus had finished talking, more tears began to burn Virgil’s eyes, “R-Really..?” he sniffled, hesitant to believe that they really wanted him. Why would they? He was nothing special. And now they knew that he was a girl, they only wanted a boy right? A real one..

“Really.” Janus smiled softly. Virgil let the tears fall, sniffling harshly and stepping forward to wrap his arms around the taller boy, holding onto him tightly. Janus was never one for hugs, but he couldn’t help but envelope the boy in his arms protectively. This was his new little brother- or sister, or sibling, whatever Virgil preferred- and he was going to take care of him, no one was going to scare him and get away with it. Luckily, he didn’t have to fight the woman that scared him though, because Remy already handled it. 

While Janus took a moment to calm Virgil down, Remy stepped closer to Mrs. Hallie and stared into her eyes over their sunglasses, “Look, bitch, I don’t know what your problem is, but frankly, I don’t care. We’re not interested in your poster child little boy. We want this kid. Virgil, Virginia, whatever the hell they want their name to be, it doesn’t matter, we want them. You’ve been hella rude and passive aggressive about using my correct suffix and pronouns, and I put up with that, but I’ll be damned if I’m gonna sit here and let you intentionally misgender a child you’re supposed to be caring for. Now if you wouldn’t mind, my husband and I would like you to escort us to your office so that we can fill out the necessary legal documents we need in order to take our new child home.”

Mrs. Hallie sputtered in shock and offense, looking to Emile for help, as if she'd get it from him. She didn't, of course, he looked just as serious as his partner, though said nothing. Hallie gasped and looked around for another moment before nodding, "Yes...right this way." She turned and began walking down the hall. Emile followed, and so did Remy and soon Virgil and Janus as well. On the way there, Remy slowed down a bit to walk with Virgil and Janus,

"Hey little coffee bean, how's your breathing?" They asked Virgil, looking down at him as they walked.

Virgil was slightly confused by the nickname, but he answered anyway, "Uhm...okay I guess..? Janus helped.." he mumbled softly, leaning into Janus a little more as they walked. 

"That's good to hear. That lady is pretty mean, huh?" Virgil nodded, squeezing Janus's hand nervously. "Well I'm not gonna let her bully you any more, cutie, don't worry. I do need to know some things from you though. Your name, pronouns and whether or not you'd like to come home with us today."

Virgil felt his heart skip a beat. They really did want him, even Janus' parents wanted him! How.. "Why me..?" He thought out loud by accident. 

He felt Janus' hand squeeze his a little, making him look up in confusion. Janus looked sad, and he was glancing between Virgil and his parent. Virgil looked at Remy, and they looked the same. It was Remy that spoke up though,

"Well, we came here because we wanted a new family member. And since Jan is our only kid, we wanted him to be able to make most of the choice when it came to who we adopt. After that first day, Jan talked and talked about you, and we knew that you were the one. I'm pretty sure my mushy gushy husband over there fell in love with you before he even met you, kiddo. This little snake has a hell of a way of describing people." Remy teased, reaching over Virgil to mess up Janus' hair. 

Virgil giggled a little when Janus hissed. 

"Now, down to business." Remy said, glancing ahead to see that they were nearing the bitch's office. "Do you mind telling us your preferred name and pronouns, babes?"

The smile that was on Virgil's face disappeared, and the light happy feeling was replaced by confusion and slight panic. He wanted to answer, he knew that he really should, but he didn't know what those words meant… preferred? Pronouns? He didnt- fuck but he had to say  _ something _ why did he have to be so dumb? They're really not going to want him now, they're gonna notice how dumb he is. Tears started to fall again as he panicked. Janus and Remy noticed. 

They stopped outside the door of mrs. Hallie's office while Janus' dad and mrs. Hallie went in. Remy crouched down in front of Virgil, 

"Hey sweetheart, it's okay, take deep breaths for me, kay?" Remy said softly, pushing his sunglasses up to rest on his head. Virgil looked into Remy's eyes and couldn't seem to look away. One of them was dark brown, and one of them was a golden color. Virgil blinked in shock, slowly forgetting all about his panic. Remy's eyes...they were just like his.. 

For years, Virgil had been made fun of, beaten up and called a freak for his eyes. Sure, it was because he thought he was a boy too, but his eyes were a big part of why people in the orphanage hated him. They said he was an alien, a freak of nature, they hated looking at his eyes, and he did too. Virgil was convinced that he was the only one in the world with this defect, but...here he was, staring right back into the eyes of someone like him.

"Y-Your eyes…?" He whispered, tears still escaping his own. Remy smiled softly, 

"Hella pretty, aren't they? I love em. Your eyes are like mine too, I love your colors." 

Virgil's breath hitched, "B-But.." his hand came up to touch his face under one of his eyes, it was wet from tears. He didn't know what to say, his head was spinning and he was so tired now that he thought about it. So much was happening, he was scared. 

"Do you know what pronouns are?" Janus asked, looking down at Virgil. The younger boy felt relief wash over him at the question, not knowing how he would have explained the issue on his own. His cheeks turned a brighter red as he looked down at his bare feet, nodding. This was embarrassing… he wished he would have payed attention in classes, maybe he would have learned that word.. or any words really. 

"Ah. Pronouns are like he and she and they. Like when people are talking to or about you. Like "he's over there," or "she's drinking coffee," or "They'll be here soon." Does that make sense?" Remy explained. Virgil nodded, taking a moment to process and another one to think about what that meant for him. Then, he looked up at Remy shyly,

"Um...I think mine is.. he?" He said softly, "B-But if that's not allowed..I'm supposed to be a girl, s-so she is o-okay.." he forced out, breaking eye contact. 

"It doesn't seem like she is okay with you, darling. How about this- do you feel like a boy or a girl? You can also answer neither or both if that's what's true for you. I don't ever feel like a boy or a girl, so my pronouns are they and them. That's why Janus only calls me Remy instead of mom or dad. And Emile calls me his partner instead of his husband or wife. Does that make sense?" 

Virgil nodded slowly, a bit unsure. He'd never heard of something like that before. He didn't know people could do that. That wasn't him though. He..felt like a boy in a girl's body. He always had, for as long as he could remember. So, that's what he told them. 

"I think...I'm a boy.. I feel like one, I always have. I don't like my body...it's not right..it never feels okay..but no one will listen.." he whispered the last part. "No one believes me.. that's why I lied, I'm sorry I'm sorry..didn't mean to be bad..I just wanted...just wanted somebody to listen.. I'm sorry, i-its okay if you don't want me.." He let out a weak sob, letting go of Janus' hand so that he could wrap his arms around himself protectively.

"Oh, baby…" Remy cooed softly, moving so they were sitting on the knees on the ground. "Can I give you a hug, sugar? You look like you might need one." 

Virgil wasn't sure why they still wanted to hug him after this, but he didn't dare question it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a hug. He wasn't even sure if he'd had one before at all. He knew what they were, of course he did, he wasn't  _ that _ dumb. But..he'd never had one. As far as he remembered at least. No one at the orphanage ever gave him a hug, and Mrs. Hallie never paid attention to him unless he was in trouble.

He took a nervous step forward when Remy slowly extended their arms out for him, and suddenly he was wrapped up in their embrace, face pressed against their neck. It was warm and felt safe. Really safe..more safe than his corner in the main room. Virgil couldn't help but melt into the hug, sniffling and trying to hold back his cries so that he didn't get Remy's shirt all messy with tears and snot. The dark leather was cold against Virgil's overheating cheeks and he welcomed it, it felt nice. 

None of that compared however to when Remy started to run their fingers through his hair. After a few seconds of that, Virgil let himself collapse fully into Remy's arms, so exhausted and overwhelmed. 

"I've got you, little coffee bean, you're okay. You are perfectly valid, it's okay to feel the way you're feeling, if you feel like a boy, that means you're a boy. We still want you, sweetheart. You're coming home with us as long as you still want to, okay?" 

Virgil let out a heavy sob, clinging to Remy as best he could. "Th-Thank you.. thank you.." he whimpered over and over. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his back, but peeked out from Remy's chest to see Janus sitting next to them, gently rubbing his back with a small smile. 

They stayed like that for a little bit before Janus' dad peeked his head out the door and called Remy's name softly, 

"Rem, we need you in here to finish up the papers." Remy looked up at his husband and nodded, 

"I'll be there in a second." Before looking down at Virgil who was still clinging to them. "Hey Virgie, how about we get some ice cream on our way home, hm?" 

The little boy sat back and stared up at the older person in shock. Ice cream? He almost never got to have ice cream.. he's only tried it a few times. He nodded eagerly, happy when it made Remy smile. "Alright kiddo, I gotta go finish the papers, kay? Jan will stay with you, and we'll try not to take too long."

Virgil nodded, sniffling and wiping his tears away. He let Remy get up, surprised when Janus offered his hand to take once again. Virgil smiled softly and took it, stepping closer to the older boy. 

"So, are you ready to become my younger brother, Virgil?" Janus asked as his parent went into the office and shut the door. 

Virgil smiled bigger and nodded, squeezing Janus' hand. "Thank you for telling your parents about me. I'm so excited!" He squealed, his little hand that wasn't holding onto Janus shook vigorously in the air from excitement. When Virgil noticed Janus glancing at his hand, he did too and immediately froze, dropping the hand back to his side, even hiding it behind himself a little. "S-Sorry.." he mumbled, looking away and debating if he should let go of Janus' hand too.

Janus frowned at the sudden change, "Sorry? For what?" 

Virgil looked up at him, shifting nervously from foot to foot. "Um..sometimes when I feel a lot, my hands go like this.." he demonstrates for Janus, shaking his hand the same way he'd just been doing it before. "And mrs. Hallie always tells me to stop. Says it's annoying and makes me look... retarded.." he said softly, looking away again.

Janus felt his heart constrict for the poor boy. How could someone say something so horrible? Janus hated that word with a passion, he didn't believe there was any context where using it would be appropriate. It was incredibly offensive and awful, and he couldn't believe a grown woman would say something like that to a child.

"Virgil, could you look me in the eye please?" Janus asked, Virgil did, albeit very nervously. "That is not annoying, not at all. And I'm very sorry she used that horrible, disgusting word against you. That is a very offensive slur and that is most definitely not okay for her to say. I'm sorry you ever had to hear it. You are many things- very strong, very smart, very interesting. But annoying is not one of those things, I promise you that." 

Virgil listened carefully to his new big brother, eyes wide and curious. Once Janus neared the end of his speech, the younger boy's lower lip began to wobble a little bit. "Y-You...really mean it..?" He asked softly, looking up at Janus with the most adorable shiny eyes.

Janus smiled softly and gently ruffled Virgil's hair, "Of course." 

The older boy was suddenly engulfed in a big bear hug from the smaller one, Virgil sniffling softly as he held tightly to his new brother. He was so happy. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he was this happy, he couldn't believe he had gotten so lucky. "Please be real.." he whispered to himself, holding onto Janus a little tighter. He was so afraid that all of this would slip away in seconds and he'd wake up cold and scared and alone in the basement again.

Jan had tensed up at first, but relaxed soon after, wrapping his arms around Virgil securely. As he held the too small, too frail boy in his arms, he made a vow to himself that he would always protect him. Virgil was his new baby brother and no one was ever going to hurt him, Janus would make sure.

When Virgil whispered his desperate prayer, Janus just held him closer, rocking them back and forth just so slightly, "I've got you, baby brother. You're safe. I'm real and I'm not going anywhere, I promise you that." 

Moments later, the door behind them opened and Janus' parents stepped out, hand in hand, followed by an irritated looking Mrs. Hallie. "Go get your things, Virginia- er- Virgil.." she said, her tone cold. The only reason she said Virgil's name was because Remy glared harshly at her. 

Janus went to the bedroom with Virgil and they got his small amount of possessions. After that, they were off. Virgil kept a hold of Janus' hand the entire time, and Janus didn't seem to mind at all. 

The feeling Virgil got as he watched the orphanage get smaller and smaller as they drove away, was euphoric. He was full of energy and excitement, so ridiculously happy. 

The new family of four stopped to get ice cream on the way home. It was the best day of Virgil's entire life, and it would always be one of his very favorite memories. 

He had a family. He wasn't alone anymore. And he was completely free to be himself. 

Virgil had everything he could possibly ask for and more. He was the happiest kid in the world. At least for now. 

**Author's Note:**

> It's really late and I'm extremely tired so sorry for any grammatical mistakes toward the end. I just found this little gem in my drafts so I figured I'd post it. I've been feeling super super down lately, worse than I have been in a very long time. I've been wanting to post something so that I might get some comments to cheer me up but I couldn't really bring myself to work on any of my chapter books. But luckily this one was almost finished and I just had to add a little ending to it 😊 I hope you all like it!! 
> 
> Please please leave a comment if you can or are willing, they genuinely make my day. I love you all very much! Thank you for reading! Take care of yourselves 💕


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